I have written "thank you" notes to
those of you who contributed to our Advent appeal. In case I missed anyone –
Thank you for the support you give that enables us to preach the gospel through
the Internet.

May your New Year be
blessed.

We will have readings from 1
Corinthians this Sunday till early March. Why not consider at least one
preaching from it? The preacher might want to focus on the unity and diversity
of the church. Corinth resembled a lot of our modern cities. It was
cosmopolitan, with people from all over the world. It had the extremes of great
wealth and a very large poor population, many of whom were slaves. Paul preached
there and he got followers from among both the rich and poor. Several passages
show that there were internal conflict and problems in the Christian community
(1: 11-12; 1: 19-2: 10; 6: 1-11). In addition to the internal struggles in the
faith community, they were surrounded by non-believers and so struggled to keep
the faith – a faith which was bombarded by foreign beliefs and practices. Just
as we, the Corinthian community had to deal with both internal and external
issues that threatened its vitality and unity.

The series of Sunday readings from 1
Corinthians begins with today’s selection from chapter 12. It is about order in
the Christian assembly. The question concerns "spiritual gifts," "forms of
service" and the different shapes they take in the community. The community has
shown an ignorance of God’s gifts. Notice how often Paul repeats that the
individual’s gifts are "by the Spirit." One way of getting a handle on the
passage is to think about spiritual "gifts" as spiritual "persons." The Spirit
works through individuals to benefit the community. In today’s section, Paul is
stressing the diversity that shows itself in the community. But, the first four
verses of chapter 12 (prior to today’s passage), state the fundamental on which
diversity is possible: the first gift of the Spirit is the faith to profess,
"Jesus is Lord." This fundamental gift holds us together in all our diversity
and struggles with differences.

Like the Corinthians, we are very
aware of our diversity each time we gather for worship. In reaction to the
differences, people sometimes choose to go to a particular church, or join a
smaller community, so as to be with people who are "just like us." It sounds
like a platitude to say we share one faith in Jesus Christ through the Spirit.
But Paul is saying that is the real basis for our unity. We may come from
different political camps (how many voted for Trump, how many for Clinton?);
economic backgrounds (who came to church in big SUV’s and who came in battered
pick-up trucks this morning – or had to walk?); age groups (how many have grey
hair, no hair, or look like a shampoo ad with a full head of tresses?); races
(brown, black, white, red, yellow, mixed?); education (with framed advanced, or
professional degrees in their offices, or those barely able to sign their
names?) etc. (The preacher can specify the differences based on your own
"Corinthian community.") The differences may be what first strike us as we enter
our places of worship.

When the inevitable tensions arise,
we will need to remember, as hard as it is (!), that we profess faith in the
same Lord. Underlying Paul’s argument in Corinthians is that the whole community
is united by the same faith, the same profession that "Jesus is Lord" (12:3). We
can’t forget the One who is the reason for this crazy mix of people. All we do
to hold together – the forgiveness, patience, understanding, love, and all the
times we bite our tongues, or decide we have to speak up – all this is because
of Jesus Christ, our convener, our focus. Who, or what else, would have the
power to keep us from bursting apart under the pressures? Especially these
crisis days for our Church! We are a church that celebrates God’s Word and
Eucharist. We celebrate all the diverse ways the Spirit shines through each
individual, the Spirit who "produces all of these, distributing them
individually to each person as the Spirit wishes." It is this Spirit who gives
us the voice to express our common faith, "Jesus is Lord." (See our "Justice
Bulletin" board below for more on today’s I Corinthians reading.)

Strange to begin the "Ordinary
Sundays" with today’s Gospel passage. It is out of sequence. On the Sundays
through this liturgical year, we will be hearing from Luke, yet today we begin
the season with John. Does this Gospel set up the subsequent Sundays? Has God
come, as Isaiah promises in the first reading, to espouse a people? And is Jesus
the sign that this espousal is taking place? Maybe the wedding feast of Cana is
the best story to begin with since it speaks so richly of God's desire to be one
with us. All Jesus' words and actions in forthcoming Sundays will show God's
reaching out as a lover to the beloved. Not to just an individual beloved
either; for the wedding is a community affair. The community will celebrate this
new bond with God. We had run out of wine, did not have the means to celebrate,
so God enters the scene and gives us reason to celebrate – a new wine in a new
age.

The story is about more than turning
water into wine. It is a "sign" and each "sign" is an epiphany (i.e. "reveal his
glory"), a manifestation of who Jesus is, so that people would accept him and
the nearness of God that he brings. For gathered are the people wanting to
celebrate, but not having the means to do that. Jesus makes possible our
celebration of God's nearness. (Isaiah voices it today, "As a young man marries
a young woman, so shall your builder marry you, and as the bridegroom rejoices
over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you.") In Jesus, God has come
close, and given us the reason and the means to celebrate. God has saved the
best wine till last. One commentator suggests that scriptural reflection groups
might view the movie "Babette’s Feast," as a way of feeling the significance of
this Gospel tale of wine and celebration.

To each individual the
manifestation of the Spirit is given for some benefit.

1 Corinthians 12:7

We have just begun the Week of Prayer
for Christian Unity (Jan. 18-25) and its 2019 theme finds its origins in
Deuteronomy. "Justice, Only Justice, You Shall Pursue" (Deuteronomy 16:20) was
chosen for its powerful message of promoting truth, equality and unity.

The initial work on the theme for
this year’s Week of Prayer was prepared by a group of representatives from
different parts of Indonesia. The Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian
Unity states, "Every year Christians across the world gather in prayer for
growth in unity. We do this in a world where corruption, greed and injustice
bring about inequality and division. Ours is a united prayer in a fractured
world: this is powerful. However, as individual Christians and communities, we
are often complicit with injustice, and yet we are called together to form a
united witness for justice and to be a means of Christ’s healing grace for the
brokenness of the world."

The final text continues, "Christ’s
Church is called to be a foretaste of this kingdom. However, in our disunity we
fall short. We fail to be the sign of God’s love for his people. Just as
injustice has widened the divisions that have riven Indonesian society, so
injustice has also fed the divisions of the Church. We repent of the injustice
that causes division, but as Christians we also believe in the power of Christ
to forgive us and heal. And so, we find ourselves united under the cross of
Christ, calling both for his grace to end injustice and for his mercy for the
sins which have caused our division."

To deepen our reflection on unity and
justice, the topic of each day has been carefully chosen to present struggles
that result from injustice. The themes are:

Mini-reflections on the Sunday
scripture readings designed for persons on the run. "Faith Book" is also brief
enough to be posted in the Sunday parish bulletins people take home.

From today’s I Corinthians reading:

To each individual the
manifestation of the Spirit

is given for some
benefit.

Reflection:

We need a variety of gifts in the
Church. How boring it would be if we all had the same gift, or gifts. And how
deprived we would be! Paul is reminding us of our God who sees our needs and
addresses them through the different members of the Christian community.

"One has to strongly
affirm that condemnation to the death penalty is an inhuman measure that
humiliates personal dignity, in whatever form it is carried out."

---Pope Francis

Inmates on death row are the most
forgotten people in the prison system. Each week I post in this space several
inmates’ names and addresses. I invite you to write a postcard to one or more of
them to let them know we have not forgotten them. If you like, tell them you
heard about them through North Carolina’s, "People of Faith Against the Death
Penalty." If the inmate responds you might consider becoming pen pals.

Please write to:

Carl Moseley #0294214 (On death
row since 10/1/92)

Nathan Bowie #0039561 (2/5/93)

William Bowie #0039569 (2/5/93)

----Central Prison, 4285 Mail Service
Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-4285

For more information on the Catholic
position on the death penalty go to the Catholic Mobilizing Network:

is a service to preachers and those wishing to prepare for Sunday worship. It is
sponsored by the Dominican Friars. If you would like "First Impressions"
sent weekly to a friend, send a note to fr. John Boll, OP at jboll@opsouth.org

If you would like to support this
ministry, please send tax deductible contributions to fr. Jude Siciliano, O.P.

If you are a preacher, lead a
Lectionary-based scripture group, or are a member of a liturgical team, these
CDs will be helpful in your preparation process. Individual worshipers report
they also use these reflections as they prepare for Sunday liturgy.

2. "Homilías
Dominicales" —These Spanish reflections on the Sunday and daily scriptures
are written by Dominican sisters and friars. If you or a friend would like to
receive these reflections drop a note to fr. John Boll, O.P. at

3. Our webpage:www.PreacherExchange.org
- Where you will find "Preachers’ Exchange," which includes "First
Impressions" and "HomilíasDominicales," as
well as articles, book reviews, daily homilies and other material pertinent to
preaching.

4. "First Impressions" is a
service to preachers and those wishing to prepare for Sunday worship. It is
sponsored by the Dominican Friars. If you would like "First Impressions"
sent weekly to a friend, send a note to fr. John Boll, OP at the above email
address.